{"id":8371,"date":"2026-10-19T23:31:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T14:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8371"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:50:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:50:04","slug":"kladdkaka","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/kladdkaka\/","title":{"rendered":"Kladdkaka"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Swedish kladdkaka is a low cake enjoyed for the rich flavor of the batter itself. Beneath a thin, dry surface, it keeps a moist, slightly sticky center. Versions made with cacao are the best known, but this soft center carries over even when the flavor changes to white chocolate, lemon or spices. Its way of creating richness differs from that of cakes layered with cream.<\/p>\n

Mixing Without Adding Foam<\/h2>\n

Kladd<\/em> is a word that suggests a sticky, wet-looking state, and kaka<\/em> means cake. Moisture that would look like underbaking in a light sponge is the goal in this cake. That does not mean, however, leaving raw liquid behind. The surface and edges are baked firm, while the center is left dense and soft, yet firm enough to slice once cooled.<\/p>\n

The ingredients include melted butter, eggs, sugar, flour and cacao. The eggs and sugar are not beaten to incorporate much air; they are mixed only until the ingredients come together. This also differs from creaming, in which softened butter is beaten until fluffy. One Arla recipe (ingredient proportions and method) uses 150 grams of butter, 3 eggs, 3 deciliters of sugar, 2 deciliters of wheat flour and 1 deciliter of cacao; without any leavening agent, it binds a generous amount of butter and sugar with small amounts of flour, egg and cacao. Cacao contributes bitterness and aroma in addition to color.<\/p>\n

Baking to Set the Edges While Keeping the Center Soft<\/h2>\n

When the batter is poured into a pan and baked, the edges set first, and the center still wobbles slightly even once the surface has dried. The cake is not baked until it is dry throughout, so a contrast in texture remains between the edges and the center. A shorter baking time gives a moist, wobbly center, while a slightly longer one brings it closer to a dense, springy chew; which is preferred varies from household to household.<\/p>\n

Besides baking time, the size of the pan also affects doneness. Even with the same recipe, a wide pan makes the batter thinner so it cooks through faster, while a narrow pan leaves a thick center. Letting the cake cool and settle in the pan makes it easier to serve in slices while keeping the interior soft. Some versions replace part of the sugar with syrup to add a caramel-like aroma and chewiness, and others use melted chocolate instead of cacao; differences in the ratio of fat, sugar and flour produce different moist textures.<\/p>\n

\n\"Kladdkaka\n
Kladdkaka set out in the sunshine with sparklers standing in it (2008, location unknown). An example baked as a thin slab, with white powder scattered over the surface. Photo: Stolpskott \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ Public domain dedication by the copyright holder<\/a>. Image obtained from the source. No content alterations or cropping made for this use.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Variations With Cinnamon Bun Flavor or Lemon<\/h2>\n

ICA\u2019s kanelbullekladdkaka borrows the arrangement of flavors from a cinnamon bun. Eggs with cardamom, melted butter and flour are mixed without whipping and poured into the pan without proofing. Butter, sugar and cinnamon are piped on top in a swirl, and coarse sugar is sprinkled over before baking, so the spiral of the rolled bun becomes a pattern drawn on top.<\/p>\n

Among versions made with white chocolate and lemon, some use lemon zest and lemon balm, replace the wheat flour with almond flour and chill the cake thoroughly. This approach does not simply leave out the cacao; it also changes the proportions of flour and fat. Other touches include adding cinnamon or vanilla, topping the cake with fruit or sweets, and baking a large cake in a sheet pan and cutting it into squares.<\/p>\n

The Theory of an Arrival From Paris and the Theory Linking It to Brownies<\/h2>\n

The origin that ICA\u2019s historical article considers most likely is the story of food journalist Margareta Wickman. She is said to have taken a liking to a moist chocolate cake at a shop next to a flea market in Paris, received the recipe and brought it home to Sweden. She reportedly introduced it in the magazine \u201cVecko-Journalen\u201d in the late 1970s, where it drew a large response.<\/p>\n

In the story SVT presented in 2015, the recipe was brought back from Paris in 1968. However, the woman\u2019s surname is given as Wickbom, a spelling different from the Wickman cited by ICA.<\/p>\n

Another theory holds that during wartime in the 1940s, when baking powder could not be obtained, the cake was made by leaving it out of the American brownie<\/a>. SVT also presents this as a possibility, but brownies themselves have methods that originally used no leavening agent. It seems difficult to trace the cake\u2019s beginnings from this theory alone. Accounts of the origins of this soft-centered cake include the theory that it was modeled on a foreign cake, the theory that it arose from households changing ingredients, and stories of its spread through a magazine.<\/p>\n

\n\"Round\n
Round kladdkaka decorated with marzipan flowers (2006, location unknown). An example served whole in its round shape without being cut. Photo: Meloday \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>. Image obtained from the source. No content alterations or cropping made for this use.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Serving the Cooled Cake With Cream or Ice Cream<\/h2>\n

On Kladdkaka Day, November 7, home cooking media share recipes and tips. Day to day, the cake is eaten at coffee time or as a small sweet after a meal, with whipped cream or ice cream on the side. Because the dense cake is paired with whipped cream or ice cream, each bite can be enjoyed with as much as one likes.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An example of kladdkaka served with coffee and cream. Photo: ulfveronica0 (Veronika Olsson), date taken unknown (date listed at source: 2014-01-14), location unknown. Original image<\/a> \/ CC0<\/a>. Original image, no additional processing.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

\u30fbMargareta Wickman<\/strong>: A Swedish journalist working in the field of food. She is said to have introduced in a magazine the recipe for a cake she encountered in Paris.<\/p>

\u30fbArla<\/strong>: A Nordic dairy brand whose markets include Sweden. It publishes recipes for home baking.<\/p>

\u30fbDeciliter<\/strong>: 100 milliliters. In Swedish home cooking it is also used to measure flour and sugar.<\/p>

\u30fbLeavening agent<\/strong>: An ingredient that produces gas through heat or other means to make a batter or dough rise, such as baking powder.<\/p>

\u30fbKanelbulle<\/a><\/strong>: A Swedish sweet yeast bun with cinnamon, characterized by cardamom in the dough and cinnamon inside.<\/p>

\u30fbLemon balm<\/strong>: An herb whose leaves have a lemon-like scent.<\/p>

References<\/h2>\n

  1. \u30fbArla \u201cKladdkaka med kanel\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Basic proportions, cinnamon, melted butter, a dry top and a soft center.\n\u30fbICA \/ Buff\u00e9 2017 No. 10 \u201cB\u00e4sta kladdkakan\u201d<\/a> \u2014 No leavening agent, melted butter, texture after cooling.\n\u30fbJosefine Braw \/ ICA \u201cSeg kladdkaka\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Wobble and baking, not incorporating foam, chewiness from syrup, November 7.\n\u30fbICA \/ Santa Maria \u201cKanelbullekladdkaka\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Non-yeasted batter with cardamom, cinnamon swirl, coarse sugar.\n\u30fbICA \u201cGlutenfri citronkladdkaka\u201d<\/a> \u2014 White chocolate, lemon zest and lemon balm, almond flour, chilling.\n\u30fbArla November 2020 published milk carton illustration<\/a> \u2014 Mixing without adding foam; baking until the edges set while the center wobbles.<\/p><\/li>

  2. \u30fbICA \u201cKladdkakans historia\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Explanation that Weckman obtained the recipe in Paris and that it was published in a magazine in the late 1970s.<\/p><\/li>

  3. \u30fbSVT \u201cKladdkakan firas idag,\u201d November 6, 2015<\/a> \u2014 Presents the 1940s leavening-shortage theory and the 1968 Paris-visit theory as possibilities. Article text re-read in 153. The name is spelled Margareta Wickbom; whether she is the same person as the Wickman from the earlier reading of ICA, or whether this is a typo, is not determined. The article gives the commemorative day as November 6, but the November 7 date in the main text was confirmed in a separate ICA source. The parent\u2019s re-retrieval this time timed out; this entry is based on the explicitly recorded reading in 153.<\/p><\/li>

  4. \u30fbEditorial note: Wickman\u2019s introduction of the cake in a magazine in the late 1970s is a later account; the year of origin has not been independently established from the relevant magazine issue.<\/p><\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Kladdkaka is a Swedish cacao cake baked so that its center remains moist and dense. The low, round cake forms a thin, dry surface, beneath which the texture is soft and slightly sticky. Rather than having cream sandwiched inside, it is enjoyed in small slices for the richness of the baked batter itself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7324,"menu_order":142,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Kladdkaka","subtitle":"A mix-only cacao cake with a dry surface and a dense center","topics":"Melt the butter and avoid adding too much foam \/ Watch the surface and check the wobble in the center \/ A moist style or a chewy style \/ From a single cacao cake to familiar variations","country":"Sweden","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["chocolate","cream","butter","egg"],"texture":["moist"],"occasion":[],"method":["baked"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[154],"class_list":["post-8371","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"auto","sweetlore_related_articles":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t